The manufacture of chemical products is becoming increasingly complicated as worldwide demand for chemical products, and the complexity of the products, continue to increase. Modern chemical plants are sprawling complexes, employing hundreds or thousands of employees to manufacture many diverse chemicals.
Computer systems, methods and program products have been widely used for chemical process control. For example, enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) computer products can provide automated product sales order entry and can also track manufacturing bills of material and bills of substance that are used in a chemical plant to manufacture chemical products. Such enterprise resource planning products allow a manufacturer to track orders, inventory and manufacturing operations for a complex chemical plant.
Due to the toxic nature of certain chemicals, the chemical industry is regulated by many national and local laws. For example, in the United States, the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is a complex set of regulations that govern the manufacture and use of chemicals. Failure to comply with TSCA regulations can result in severe penalties for a chemical manufacturer. Unfortunately, compliance with TSCA and other regulations is becoming increasingly complicated due to the increasing number and complexity of chemical products that are being produced, and the increasing number and complexity of regulations that govern the manufactured products.